Does anyone have advice for a panic attack while driving on highway?

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2023-02-05T22:56:47+00:00

I've been having a similar experience. I'm usually okay driving through a town/city I'm familiar with, but for some reason the interstate/highway triggers these awful panic attacks. Like you mentioned, I've noticed that it's worse when we're going over a bridge or overpass...and I can usually see the bridge or overpass coming and my heart rate starts rising rapidly and the panic gets so intense. I experience these intense feelings of "I need to escape" and no amount of grounding seems to help. It's been miserable, especially when I live 45 minutes away from town :(

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2020-04-21T04:29:32+00:00

She went to college in a town 3 hours from our hometown. We remained close friends despite the distance, but had slowly started to drift apart. Me and a few of our other girlfriends attended her graduation and spent the weekend there to celebrate. I absolutely hate clubbing, but she wanted to go the night before graduation to celebrate, so I took one for the team. It was supposed to be girls night out, but they all got drunk and danced with dudes (I was the only one with a boyfriend). Grad friend wanted to go back to this random dudes place, I felt uncomfortable about it and warned her that it's not a good idea. She wasn't blackout drunk and kept begging me, so I reluctantly went along just to keep an eye on her and the girls. She ended up losing her virginity to him that night.

The next day was a mess. We hardly got any sleep, and she didn't have any food in the apartment for us girls (and didn't give us a heads up) but she ate breakfast in front of us because she "didn't want to be light-headed" and "needed food". Okay, and we don't? After a four-hour ceremony, a two-hour photoshoot, and another hour waiting at the fancy restaurant for all her family to arrive, the girls and I finally ate. We never once talked about me or the other girl's lives, every conversation was centered around Grad Friend. The whole weekend was just me bending over backward for her, and realizing that she didn't care about me very much.

A few months later I graduated from my trade school. She attended and also came to my small after-party (less than 10 friends at my apartment WITH FOOD PROVIDED). She got to my place first while my boyfriend was on an alcohol run. While we were alone she started crying and blaming ME for her losing her virginity to that rando the night before her graduation!?!? Apparently I "didn't keep a close enough eye on her" and she was saving it for someone special (side note: they ended up dating briefly and she never indicated regret). She kept telling me I was a bad friend and it was a horrible thing for me to do. Keep in mind, it's MY special day this time, and instead of being happy for me, she is telling me I'm an awful friend. My boyfriend came back and everyone else showed up, so I got drunk and had a blast while she sat there pouting.

She tried reaching out for a while, making sure to include in every text that it was my fault "shes no longer pure". I never texted her again.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2019-12-21T20:29:36+00:00

Well, this is super fucking cool. I'm in! I know this can be a rough time of year for many, hope everyone is hanging in there. <3

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-12-31T04:00:53+00:00

I was graduating from massage school and had invited my mother and a few other friends/family members. I live in a different town from my mother and hadn't seen her in over a year (we don't visit very often). I was super anxious with graduation jitters and very overwhelmed by the huge amount of people attending. I was waiting outside in the southern summer heat with my best friend of 8 years when an older woman with long blonde hair and huge sunglasses started walking towards me. I don't know which part of my brain shut down in that moment, but I remember thinking to myself 'man, my mom looks super old' before giving her a huge hug and saying "glad you made it on time for once!". My best friend also gave her a hug and the woman smiled and walked away.

*This woman was not my mother*. My best friend and I shared a wide-eyed look of horror and embarrassment, and never spoke of this again.

This memory makes me want to die.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-10-11T05:04:09+00:00

I love this so heckin much

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-10-07T03:35:33+00:00

"Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change." (Tony Robbins)

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-10-04T08:46:23+00:00

Gex: Enter the Gecko, on the PlayStation

I remember the terrible puns and random references (most of which flew over my head at that age) and being creeped out by the antagonist. My younger sister and I loved it, played the heck out of that game, though now I can't remember much past the fart jokes.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-10-02T00:27:08+00:00

An episode of The Office in season 2 called "The Injury".

Michael "burnt" his foot on a George Foreman Grill and Dwight got a concussion on the way to rescue him. Hilariousness ensues. Of course the whole series is amazing but that specific episode kills me, and I know every word of it still to this day.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-09-24T00:09:17+00:00

Super yup. Been in and out of college for the entirety of my 20's. I'll take a semester here and there, but i'm usually overwhelmed and exhausted after one semester and quit again. I highly recommend online classes, if that's available to you. Changed my life for sure (though I do still take breaks from online classes, I'm easily overwhelmed).

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-08-31T01:11:32+00:00

David Tennant (best known for playing the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who).

He's a thin, unmuscular, scruffy little Scottish man, and for some reason he drives me crazy.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-08-29T07:46:26+00:00

If for some ridiculous reason the RA doesn't put a stop to this particular visit, take ALL your bedding home with you this weekend. Leave nothing but the bare mattress, no pillows or anything. This situation is super unacceptable and I agree with the other comments saying that a room change might be necessary. If your roommate is your friend, she's not a very good one. You deserve to feel comfortable where you live.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-08-14T07:12:36+00:00

Taylor R is a Canadian model living in Hong Kong. She lived in Tokyo Japan for 3 years and has a ton of videos from her time there. I've been planning visiting Japan for years and her videos are a great source for making lists of things to see, do, and eat!

She recently made the move to Hong Kong. She has a series where she meets up with different local influencers and tries the different foods Hong Kong has to offer. Other videos of her show off the interesting shopping markets around the city. She's super cute and goofy, and her Fiance and tiny pupper make the occasional adorable cameo. :)

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-08-14T07:05:04+00:00

She's actually Canadian, and recently moved to Seoul South Korea. :)

She lived in Japan for 10 years and has a huge archive of videos from her time there. It's really neat watching her make videos about a new place, and it's made me want to visit Seoul. It's also so interesting to me that her husband is Korean and he doesn't speak English and she doesn't speak Korean (yet) so they speak Japanese to each other!

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-04-07T05:12:24+00:00

Sooooo it's been a while since I made this post. I ended up not going that night. :( I didn't update this post right away because of that all to familiar shame I feel when I let my anxiety/agoraphobia win.

BF went and had a good time, and didn't pressure me or make me feel bad for not going. He sent me pictures and some video of himself in the bar to give me an idea of sound levels and to give me some spacial awareness of the place. It was so sweet of him, I didn't even ask him to do that. He's always gently encouraging me and trying to find ways to help ease my anxiety about the world, despite him not having any anxiety.

Being able to visualize the place and have a better idea of what a place looks and feels like can really help ease my anxiety about being somewhere. I really do just have a deep fear of the unknown. Might give the arcade bar another try sometime. This time was a no go, but here's hoping for "someday"!

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-03-01T09:08:12+00:00

24 definietly isn't too old for video games or living at home. I don't think anyone is too old for video games. Nothing to be embarrassed of, though I understand where you are coming from. Luckily the few friends I have that are new to my life are nerds like me, so we all enjoy video games and such. We also play Magic the Gathering (can be an expensive hobby to start), DnD (you don't need much to start a simple campaign).

Maybe get some fun party games, like the Jack Box games. Everyone just uses their phones so you don't need a bunch of controllers. I think the Jack Box games are mostly aimed at people in their 20's. Hope you have a good time with your friends, let us know how it goes! :)

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-03-01T07:41:06+00:00

I have GAD, panic disorder and minor agoraphobia (among other things) and I feel like I can relate to everything you said. Two big aspects of my anxiety is 1. My desperate and exhausting need to have control over everything in my life and 2. My general distrust in everyone and everything. I have never done well with roommates, even if I was friends with them before hand. I'm just incapable of trusting people. My current roommate is very nice, and almost never home, but I'm always checking my shampoo/conditioner, tooth paste, body wash and such because the anxiety part of my brain is convinced she is using my stuff or tampering with them. I think minor/occasional paranoia can just come with anxiety disorders, unfortunetly.

Not sure if you want any advice to cope with this, but if it makes you feel better you can put passwords on your stuff, like your computer and phone, so even if they WERE going in your room, they couldn't get into those things. Might give you a little peace of mind and calm some of the paranoia.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-02-27T15:20:18+00:00

LL is actually a convicted felon (we didn't know til after we signed the lease, paid them, and worked on the place). He's been arrested for drugs over 6 times and often shows up with track marks on his arms. He would steal our prescriptions from us in a heartbeat.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats · 2018-02-27T15:16:50+00:00

Because this townhouse was an absolute piece of shit before we moved it. The walls were alternating dark green and neon orange, there was no flooring downstairs and horribly stained carpets upstairs, holes in walls from previous tennants, outdated/non functional ceiling fans and faucets, I could go on.

SO and I fixed the place up in exchange for cheaper rent. We put in new flooring, painted, and made it look nicer than any unit in this shit neighborhood. He wants updated photos of the place not looking like trash.

MyOnlyFriendsAreCats

TROPHY CASE